Chapter 80 - Dreaming of that Good Day

Zhi——
The old wooden door creaked as it opened and closed, and Ding stepped into the room without stopping.
At the age of twenty-four this year, he was of average height and had a decent appearance.
As soon as he entered the room, his wife went up to meet him, reaching out to brush off the snow on his shoulders. He stood there silently, rubbing his hands and waiting for his wife to finish.
After a moment, Dingzhuo came to the table and sat down. His wife poured him a cup of hot tea, and at the same time, he took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
When his wife saw the thing, she hesitated for a moment, while Ding could not help but look up, giving his wife a rather proud look. Then he casually picked up a chopstick from the table, poked open the lotus leaf wrap, revealing the steaming roast chicken inside.
Actually, the wife had just faintly sensed through the smell what it was, but after confirming it with her own eyes, she was still somewhat surprised, so she immediately made a few gestures to communicate with Ding and asked him where it came from.
By now, Ding, who had walked into the door of his house, finally spoke. He gestured with his hands while saying to his wife, "Don't worry, I didn't go gambling. Today, I had good luck and earned some reward money while working."
My wife smiled and picked up the roasted chicken. She then went to the stove and started busying herself.
Unable to sit still, Ding got up and walked to the nearby kang to see his sleeping son.
The son of Ding couldn't speak until last month, even though he was almost three years old. Ding was worried that this child might be born deaf and mute like his mother, but he didn't expect that the child started to speak suddenly a half month ago. This made Ding overjoyed.
Even let him, who is known as a lazy man in the village, have the idea of turning over a new leaf from now on, and his attitude towards his wife has also changed greatly.
Speaking of Ding Buzhu's wife Zhang, she is indeed a unfortunate person. In that era, even in wealthy families, deaf and dumb children are unlikely to have a good outcome, let alone Zhang, a deaf and dumb girl born in a poor family... It can be said that it is already not easy for her to grow up as an adult.
At the age of twenty, Zhang was driven out of her home and married Lai Handing, who nobody in the village wanted to marry. Their marriage was purely a result of parental arrangement and matchmaking. Zhang had no choice in the matter, and Lai Handing was also unwilling.
Don't be fooled by his usual lazy and idle behavior, and his love for gambling... he has great self-confidence.
Over a decade ago, Dang Bu Zhi's parents were still running a small business, and they had some money to spare. So, Dang Bu Zhi went to school for a few years and even made friends with some children from influential families. However, the good times didn't last long. When Dang Bu Zhi was around fourteen or fifteen, their business failed and they couldn't continue. The family of three had to return to their old, dilapidated ancestral house and rely on farming for a living. Naturally, he couldn't afford to continue his private tutoring.
Fortunately, Ding Bu Zhu's parents were diligent people, even though they were farmers, and their family could manage their daily lives.
However, Ding Bu Zhu's spoiled nature, which he had developed since childhood, did not quickly fade away with the difference in living conditions. Coupled with the fact that he was at the age of loving to play... To cut a long story short, after four or five years of effort, in his nineteenth year, he successfully transformed his family from "getting by" to "unable to survive", and he himself had already become a well-known lazy person.
That year, both of Ding Buzhu's parents fell ill and they knew their time was limited. They almost spent all their savings on funeral expenses before finally arranging a marriage for Ding Buzhu. It was not easy for someone with such a reputation like Ding Buzhu to find a suitable bride. In the end, it was Zhang Shi who had the unfortunate fate of being matched with their family.
At that time, Ding couldn't stay silent and didn't want to work either. He thought of himself as handsome and charming, how could he marry a deaf and dumb, unattractive woman who was even a few months older than him?
But now, it doesn't matter what he says, seeing that his parents are being driven to death, Ding Buzhu has no choice but to agree.
Shortly after the marriage was arranged, Ding Buzhu's parents seemed to have fulfilled their wishes and passed away one after another. With their deaths, the few acres of land in the family were left uncultivated. Ding Buzhu, who was lazy and addicted to gambling, relied on odd jobs and gambling to make a living. Fortunately, because he was literate and had dealt with some high-ranking officials when he was young, he was not bad in terms of his ability to speak and handle things. When he looked for work, he did have a certain advantage, and he was not completely destitute.
But Ding Zhuzhuo's attitude towards his daughter-in-law is quite disdainful. Every now and then, he would scold his daughter-in-law when he is in a bad mood. Later, when Zhang Shi became pregnant, he toned down a bit. However, when the child turned one or two years old and still didn't speak, Ding Zhuzhuo's attitude towards his daughter-in-law reached a freezing point.
Until…half a month ago, with the child speaking, Ding suddenly seemed to have an epiphany and underwent a great change.
From that point on, he no longer gambles and cut off all contacts with his rowdy friends. He also became diligent at work and his attitude towards his wife Zhang improved day by day.
It's as if overnight, the young master, who should have changed ten years ago, finally let go of his aristocratic demeanor and chose to grow up.
Or it can be said – he accepted his fate.
That day, at that moment, he truly felt in his heart: I might as well spend the rest of my life with them, the mother and child duo, it's actually quite nice.
"Daddy..." Perhaps it was the smell of roasted chicken, but not long after, the child on the bed woke up on his own. He squinted and looked at Dīng beside him, calling out in a sweet, childish voice.
"Hey, darling, daddy will carry you." Ding couldn't help but be delighted, he affectionately picked up his son and played with him for a while. When he saw that his wife was almost ready, he came to the table.
Zhang has now divided the chicken, poured several bowls of hot porridge, and prepared two salty side dishes. The family's dinner is now complete.
Ding couldn't help but let his son sit on his lap, picked up his chopsticks and picked a piece of chicken leg for his wife's bowl, then carefully scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew it cool, and fed it to his son's mouth. Then he continued to feed the child with each mouthful of porridge and meat.
Zhang watched from the side and couldn't help but wipe away her tears. She silently thanked the heavens that she had finally come to the end of her hardships.
………………
Knock, knock.
Outside the door, two soft taps woke up Ding who had fallen asleep with his head on the table.
"Mmm...come in..." he mumbled in response, lifting his head from his numbed right arm.
Zhi——
The magnificent door creaked open and closed, and in that instant, a beautiful woman stepped into the room.
She stopped properly behind a folding screen made of mahogany carved and adorned with gold leaf, and quietly reported, "Boss, there is an important guest."
"Hmm..." Ding picked up a glass of drink in front of him, which had been poured out for who knows how long, and without further ado, he took a sip and asked, "Ah - what's the background?"
"Sun Yixie, Huang Donglai," replied the woman behind the screen.
"Oh?" Ding couldn't help but ponder for a few short seconds upon hearing this, then continued, "I remember...didn't they go to Dongying by sea a few months ago? Are they back or imposters?"
"Because no one introduced them, and they left their names when they paid for the tea themselves, so I dare not assert whether it is true or not. But judging from their appearance, they do look very similar to the rumors." The woman replied.
"Go..." In the time it took for the other person to reply, Ding was fully awake. His expression and tone became more steady. "Let Mrs. Wang go and find out about them first. I'll prepare for a moment, then I'll personally meet this 'East Harmony, West Poison.'"